Howard Capital Management Inc. Sells 10,022 Shares of Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN)

Howard Capital Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) by 11.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 74,176 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,022 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Tyson Foods were worth $4,261,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Tyson Foods by 44.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,140,309 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,917,000 after purchasing an additional 352,863 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Tyson Foods by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 56,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,248,000 after acquiring an additional 6,955 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Tyson Foods by 289.9% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 24,288 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,395,000 after acquiring an additional 18,059 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its stake in shares of Tyson Foods by 517.7% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 136,235 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,114,000 after acquiring an additional 114,179 shares during the period. Finally, Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Tyson Foods in the fourth quarter worth approximately $775,000. 67.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Tyson Foods Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TSN opened at $60.43 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Tyson Foods, Inc. has a twelve month low of $52.11 and a twelve month high of $66.88. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $57.22 and its 200-day moving average is $60.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.41, a PEG ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 0.80.

Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.35. Tyson Foods had a return on equity of 6.87% and a net margin of 1.96%. The company had revenue of $13.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. Tyson Foods’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Tyson Foods, Inc. will post 3.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Tyson Foods Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Tyson Foods’s payout ratio is 67.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on TSN shares. UBS Group started coverage on Tyson Foods in a research note on Friday, January 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $62.00 price objective on the stock. Hsbc Global Res raised Tyson Foods from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays cut their price objective on Tyson Foods from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup cut their price objective on Tyson Foods from $63.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, HSBC raised Tyson Foods from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Tyson Foods presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.10.

Tyson Foods Company Profile

Tyson Foods, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a food company worldwide. It operates through four segments: Beef, Pork, Chicken, and Prepared Foods. The company processes live fed cattle and hogs; fabricates dressed beef and pork carcasses into primal and sub-primal meat cuts, as well as case ready beef and pork, and fully cooked meats; raises and processes chickens into fresh, frozen, and value-added chicken products, including breaded chicken strips, nuggets, patties, and other ready-to-fix or fully cooked chicken parts; and supplies poultry breeding stock.